Method of converting waste to soil/feed modifiers

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a method for transforming Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) into a useful compost material. The method involves both a pre-treatment and a treatment phase. In the pre-treatment phase, a waste stream is processed to remove valuable waste after which the waste is ground to a suitable size. In the treatment phase, heat and pressure are applied to the waste and activators are added to sterilize the waste and transform it into a useful end product.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application claims benefit of co-pending provisional application60/394,384 filed on Jul. 8, 2002 entitled Method of Converting MunicipalSolid Waste to Useful Compost Material. The contents of this provisionalapplication are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a method of transforming various wastestreams—municipal, industrial, sewage, animal, chemical, medical,contaminated and toxic waste—into enriched soil, fertilizers, mulch,animal/fish feeds and other products (i.e. municipal solid waste intouseful compost materials). More particularly, the present inventionrelates to transforming municipal solid waste into an organic product byway of thermo and bio-chemical activators, within a period of 3-24hours, depending on the waste stream being processes. These wastestreams can be processed all together or separately or in combinationsto affect the desired outcome and end product.

2. Description of the Background Art

Presently, the aerobic degradation of waste materials is known in theart. This degradation is employed in converting waste materials intouseful products such as fertilizer. However, all the following processeswhile having some similarities in their methods and process, have onevery significant drawback: none of the methods claim to process allwaste, all together. Rather, all the prior art requires some sorting orspecialized waste streams. Sorting in the method of the presentinvention is optional. Also, all these methods take no less than 10days, and some up to 4+ weeks to produce their end product.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,638 to Carlsson relates to a processfor the aerobic degradation of waste materials, such as water sludgefrom municipal waste water treatment plants. The method of Carlssonfirst grinds degradable substances to a particle size of at most 50 mmand preferably less than 10 mm and then mixes the finely ground materialwith water to produce a slurry. Enzymes are then added to promotedegradation and the slurry is preheated to 40° to 80° C. The finalcompost product can be dewatered and palletized for use as a fertilizer.The degradation process requires a 10 day period of time.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,477 to Fugua et al. discloses the addition ofvarious enzymes to solid waste to breakdown different waste components.The process is employed upon solid wastes such as absorption pads (e.g.diapers).

U.S. Pat. No. 3,736,120 to Tempe describes a waste treatment process inwhich solid refuse material is first sorted to remove non-degradablematerials. The organic portion of the waste is mixed with sewage, sludgeand ground. After grinding, enzymes are added. The material is subjectedto aerobic fermentation with agitation and addition of different typesof bacteria.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,999 to Meier describes a home composting process inwhich organic waste materials are placed in a perforated plastic bag. Acomposting tablet is added to the bag. The tablet contains enzymes thataccelerate the activity of the microorganisms. The process requires a 4to 6 week time period.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,318 to Lovness discloses a composting mixture topromote decomposition of organic materials. The mixture includes enzymesto breakdown the cell structure of the organic material and promote theactivity of the microorganisms.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,049 to Erikson et al. describes a process fortreating raw municipal waste waters and includes the steps of initiallyadding hydrolytic enzymes. Heavy metals may be removed with a chelatingstep. The final material may be used as a fertilizer.

Finally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,847,803 and 4,053,394 to Fisk describe aprocess for treating raw sewage and solid waste in which the material isfirst ground and anaerobically fermented. The resultant material issterilized. Bacteria and enzymes are then added and the material isaerobically fermented.

Although each of the above referenced inventions achieves its individualobjective, they all suffer from common drawbacks. Namely, none of theprior methods discloses a system for effectively treating combinationsof all waste, or selective waste streams of both organic and non organicwaste, or an entire municipal waste stream.

Moreover, none of the prior methods disclose using a pressurized hightemperature sealed environment for the purposes of sterilization. All ofthe methods use enzymes, but what is different is the order in which theenzymes are introduced and the manner in which these enzymes are used incombinations with other organic digesting accelerants, bio-activators,chelators and thermoactivators (and the combinations of enzyme chelatorsthermoactivators to promote decomposition of a waste mixture). Finally,all the prior art methods involve extended processing periods, typically10 days (48 hours) or more.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one of the objectives of this invention to provide amethod for converting an entire waste stream into a useful organicproduct.

It is also an object of this invention to utilize a sealed andpressurized vessel in sterilizing a waste stream.

Still another object of this invention is to use both a mechanical and achemical process to convert varied waste streams in combination orseparate, or organic and non organic waste into an organic end product.

These and other objectives are accomplished by providing a system whichhas a pretreatment phase wherein an enzyme solvent and deoderizer isfirst sprayed onto raw waste prior to it being ground and shredded byway of a mechanical grinding process and further broken down by way of areagent solution. Thereafter, the waste stream is treated by theaddition of a manure and/or sludge, lime and sand. A nutrigenic enzymethermoactivator is then added to the mixture. The resulting mixture isthen heated and pressurized in the drum for purposes of sterilization.This ground waste is then heated in a rotating sealed drum for a periodof time. Once the cooking phase is complete the vessels is opened andcontinues to rotate. Once the material cools to approximately 50C thefirst of one to five different combinations of enzyme bioactivators andoxigen are introduced as needed to accelerate the degredations process.The first in this phase is a stabilized post-pressure biological startersolution that is added to further decompose the mixture. Thereafter, anadditional thermo bio-chemical enzyme activator is added to the solutionalong with oxygen while the vessel continues to rotate. It is a criticalpart of this process that the drum continue to rotate as this stimulatesthe degredation process. Finally, a solubilized starch polysaccharidesolution is added to the mixture. The resulting mixture is then readyfor use as a fertilizer, mulch, animal/fish food.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent andimportant features of the present invention in order that the detaileddescription of the invention that follows may be better understood sothat the present contribution to the art can be more fully appreciated.Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter whichform the subject of the claims of the invention. It should beappreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and thespecific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by thoseskilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,reference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing the pretreatment steps of the method ofthe present invention with the mechanical steps being shown asrectangles and the chemical steps being shown as ovals.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the treatment steps of the method of thepresent invention with the rectangles showing the mechanical steps andthe ovals showing the chemical steps.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the present invention.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention relates to a method whereby waste or municipalsolid waste (“MSW”), such as paper, industrial, sewage, medical toxic,animal, organic and non-organic waste can be converted into enrichedsoil, fertilizer, mulch,, animal/fish feed and other products. Themethod employs a combination of mechanical and chemical steps carriedout in both a pre-treatment and treatment phase. In the pretreatmentphase, the waste is brought into a form and size suitable for subsequenttreatment. Solids are ground to 1 mm and combined with the liquid wastestreams. In the treatment phase, the ground waste is processed viaheating, pressurization, and the addition of various reagents to createthe useful end product. In general, the present method can be visualizedas a giant digestion process that returns waste into its organic anduseful cellulose state.

The waste that can be treated in accordance with the present inventionincludes organic and non-organic waste: animal waste/parts, sewage,batteries, tires, rubbers, metals, aluminum, tin, glass, all paperproducts, magazines, card board, plastics of all kinds ( hard to soft),contaminated soils, oil, grease, gasolines, paint, computer, printers,cartridges, televisions, concrete, incinerator ash, pesticides, benzene,PCB's, carcinogens, medical waste/needles, medicines/chemicals/bodyparts. Whole tires are either processed separately or are shredded andthen added at a controlled percentage to the whole waste stream. Ofcourse, organic materials can also be separately processed by the methodof the present invention and will produce animal/fish feed with aprocessing time of 3-8 hours. These organic materials can include suchthings as: wood, yard waste, food waste, cooking oil/grease, card board,paper, sewage, animal waste and parts. The system can also be used inprocessing contaminated soils. Here, the soil can be added to the wholewaste stream for processing; alternatively, the soil can be processedseparately in approximately 2-3 hours.

The only limitation regarding the waste that can be processed with thismethod is that it is capable of being ground during the pre-treatmentphase. This, in turn, is a function of the size of the waste stream andthe capability of the grinding equipment used. Should extremely largeparts be employed with the method, such as large metallic components,they can first be shaved down to a grindable size and then returned tothe waste stream. Other wastes that require limits on a percentage towhole waste stream are batteries, metals and toxins/contaminants andwater/moisture.

In an important aspect of the present invention, there are no harmfulemissions from the waste stream during processing. Specifically, noarsenic or harmful emissions are produced. Steam produced during themethod is either reintroduced into the processing stream or it isconverted to liquid and then added to the processing stream.Computerized exhaust sensors are used to monitor the steam to ensure notoxins are produced. If elevated levels of toxins are detected the levelof neutralizers and/or sterilizers can be added to break down thetoxins.

Methane is produced by the system but is reintroduced into the wastestream during processing and converts to Nitrates in the final material.Some of the potential uses of the end product include fertilizers,nutroponic soil, mulch, animal feeds, fish foods, and a combustible“brown coal” products. The various aspects of the method of the presentinvention are described in greater detail hereinafter.

Pre-Treatment Steps

With reference now to FIG. 1 the pretreatment steps of the presentinvention are depicted. In the flow chart of FIG. 1 the mechanical stepsof the pretreatment phase are indicated as rectangles whereas thechemical step is indicated as an oval. Thus, as disclosed, thepretreatment phase of the method includes a combination of mechanicaland chemical steps. The first step in the process is to automaticallyextract valuable materials from the waste stream. For example, materialssuch as aluminum cans can be extracted depending upon their economicvalue at the time. This extracted valuable waste material can then beprocessed in accordance with standard techniques to realize the value ofsuch selected waste material.

Thereafter the remaining waste is scanned by way of a conventionalGeiger counter or other radioactive detection system to ascertainwhether the remaining waste contains any radioactive materials. If anyradioactive materials are discovered they are disposed of in asubsequent step in accordance with all appropriate state and municipalregulations. It is expected that the method could easily handle wastewith radio active percentages of between 1%-4%.

Next, the remaining waste is misted prior to being conveyed to agrinding step. More specifically, an enzyme solvant deoderizing solution(PCM) is misted onto the waste. In the preferred embodiment this mist isdelivered via nozzles at a pressure of 5 pounds per square inch (PSI).

Thereafter, the waste with the added PCM reagent is transferred to thegrinding station. This grinding process can be achieved by knownapparatuses with the objective of reducing the size of the wasteparticles to 1 millimeter or less. It has been found that this wasteparticle size is best suited for subsequent mechanical and chemicalprocessing during the treatment phase of the method.

Treatment Steps

Next, the treatment phase is carried out on the waste particles. In thefirst step of this phase, the ground waste is transferred to a kettle ordrum that is sealed in such a manner as to keep the contents underpressure. The drum is also rotatable to allow for mixing of itscontents. Spurge lines and controls are included for selectively addingmaterials to the drum at various times during the process as needed.

The following items are added to the ground waste before the drum issealed: 1 lb per ton of manure and/or sludge/or food grade Urea, 1 lbper ton of stable lime, and 20 lbs per ton of rough coarse sand. Thenature of the manure and/or sludge added depends upon thecharacteristics of the waste being treated. These additives combinedwith the original PCM activate the first chemical step of the treatment.

In the next step, the drum is heated and pressurized by the addition ofsteam. Nitrogen can also be added to assist in sterilization. The steamis added through a center spurge line and is sufficient to pressurizethe contents of the drum or drum, and raise the temperature of thecontents to 120° C. This temperature is maintained for approximately 37minutes in the preferred embodiment, which has been found to be asufficient length of time to completely sterilize even the mostdangerous toxic wastes present in a waste stream. During the heating andpressurization, rotation of the drum is maintained to continually mixthe contents and to assure a uniform heating. As it is rotated, air isinfused into the drum through the center spurge lines.

Next, a resting period is initiated. During the resting period, whichideally lasts between 10 to 30 minutes, heating is abated to atemperature of 50C. After the resting period an additional chemical stepis carried out. Specifically, a nutrigenic thermoactivator is added tothe contents of the drum by way of a spurge line. This thermoactivatoris an enzymatic solution that is used in degrading the waste. Thethermoactivators are mixed with the waste by rotating the drum.Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the first of 1-5 thermo bioactivator enzyme solutions is added to the drum via a center spurgeline. This activator, which can again take the form of an enzymaticsolution, functions in degrading the waste at the cellular level. Duringthe addition of the thermo bio- activator enzymes, the drum iscontinually rotated and oxygen (at ¼ lb per ton per 1-3 hours) isinfused at regular intervals. In the preferred embodiment, the drum isrotated at a speed of 3 rpm and infused with air at 5 to 30 minuteintervals.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2, the next step of the treatmentphase is depicted. Separate organic material generally completesprocessing with only one application of bio-activators enzymes, whilenon-organic and contaminated waste streams may need 4-5 applications ofthe thermo bio-activators enzymes. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG.2, a stabilized post pressure biological starter solution is added,again via a center spurge line. This post pressure starter solution isan enzymatic solution that is adapted to further the breakdown of thewaste. Thereafter, in the final chemical step of the present invention,a solubilized starch polysaccharide solution is added via a spurge line.This has the effect of sustaining the biological reaction started by thebiological starter solution. Appropriate stabilizers can be added asrequired.

The entire bio-conversion process is typically completed in 3 to 6 hoursfor an organic waste stream. For whole waste streams, including bothorganic and inorganic materials, this time is increased to between 6-24hours. The time it takes to reach this point depends on the compositionof the waste stream. Both these process times are a significantadvancement over prior art methods. It has been found that these timeframes are sufficient to appropriately heat the materials and degradethem by way of thermal activators and reagents to achieve the desiredcharacteristics in the end product.

It should also be noted that additives, digesters, enzymes, sulfur,minerals, and/or nutrients added to the waste stream during the steps ofthe present invention depend upon whether the waste stream is organic orinorganic. With organic waste, such as animal waste, there is a muchshorter processing time and feeders, enzymes, digesters and nutrientsare only added at four times at certain intervals throughout theprocess. By contrast, with whole waste streams feeders, enzymes anddigesters are introduced nine times throughout the method. That is, thenumber of additions for a typical whole waste stream is: emulsifiers(1); neutralizer/sterilizer (1); digesters (1-5); andenrichers/nitrients (1-2). The resulting processes, however, is the samefor both purely organic and whole waste streams. The total formulasadded amounts to approximately one gallon of enzymes per ton.

With reference to FIG. 3 an additional schematic of the conversionsystem is depicted. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the waste is brought intothe system by way of conventional garbage trucks and a tipping bay. Thiswaste stream is then processed to recover valuable materials such asaluminum and/or tin. The remaining waste is then shredded, blown,shaken, sifted, and ground to achieve the appropriate particle size forfurther bio-conversion steps. As indicated, the bio-converter steps takeplace at various stages under the application of heat. Also as depicted,a control console is employed to automatically add the appropriatereagents or prozyms at the various required stages. As illustrated bythe ovals in FIGS. 1 and 2, the staging components, heat, and prozymsare all employed to achieve the resultant desired end product, which canbe palletized, stored in a bulk silo, or bagged as indicated in FIG. 3.

There are many, many end products which can be achieved by theconversion method of the present invention. The end product that isachieved is a function of both of the type of waste that is introducedinto the system as well as the various thermoactivators and/or reagentsthat are added during the chemical steps. Some of the end productclassifications are: fertilizers of various formulations; nutriponicsoils; high grade mulch; animal and fish food.

The entire method can be carried out by way of a portable apparatus.This enables the system to be transported to various job sites for theprocessing of waste. The system can also be used on cruise or militaryships. The systems is also inexpensive to build such that it can be usedby individuals and in rural areas such as farms.

The present disclosure includes that contained in the appended claims,as well as that of the foregoing description. Although this inventionhas been described in its preferred form with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of thepreferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerouschanges in the details of construction and the combination andarrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention. Now that the invention has beendescribed,

1. (canceled)
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. A method of convertingmunicipal solid waste into a useful compost material, the methodcomprising the following steps: providing a stream of solid waste fortreatment, including both inorganic and organic materials; grinding thesolid waste into particles; transferring the ground solid waste into adrum; adding manure and/or sludge to the drum and thereafter sealing thedrum; rotating the drum to mix the ground solid waste, manure and/orsludge; sterilizing the contents of the drum by adding steam; permittingthe drum to cool and thereafter depressurizing the drum by venting theremaining steam; removing the contents of the drum; wherein thebioconversion of whole waste streams can be completed within a 24 hourperiod; and wherein the method converts both organic and inorganicmaterials into useful compost material wherein prior to grinding thesolid waste it is scanned with a Geiger counter to detect the presenceor absence of radioactive materials and wherein any detected radioactivematerials are removed from the solid waste.
 5. (canceled)
 6. (canceled)7. (canceled)
 8. A method of converting municipal solid waste into auseful compost material, the method comprising the following steps:providing a stream of solid waste for treatment; grinding the solidwaste into particles; transferring the ground solid waste into a drum;adding manure and/or sludge to the drum and thereafter sealing the drum;rotating the drum to mix the ground solid waste, manure and/or sludge;sterilizing the contents of the drum by adding steam; permitting thedrum to cool and thereafter depressurizing the drum by venting theremaining steam; removing the contents of the drum; and wherein prior togrinding the solid waste it is scanned with a Geiger counter to detectthe presence or absence of radioactive materials and wherein anydetected radioactive materials are removed from the solid waste.